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Natural Healing TherapiesWed, 20 Sep 2017 15:01:18 +0000enhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1Forward Head Posture- The Domino Effecthttp://pennymichaels.com/2017/09/forward-head-posture-the-domino-effect/
Wed, 20 Sep 2017 15:01:18 +0000http://pennymichaels.com/?p=518 It is being called “FHP”, forward head position. It’s all the rave due to cell phones and video games. Especially with kids playing games nonstop on their cell phones. They spend hours bent over their phone and I’m sure you can picture where their head is- jutted out front in order to keep their […]

It is being called “FHP”, forward head position. It’s all the rave due to cell phones and video games. Especially with kids playing games nonstop on their cell phones. They spend hours bent over their phone and I’m sure you can picture where their head is- jutted out front in order to keep their eyes fixed on the phone.

So now I’m going to take you on a journey of what this does to the entire body- beginning with the neck:

When the approimately 12 pound head is carried forward a simple 2 inches, it would effect the body as if it weighed 32 pounds!! The result of additional forward force from the spine causes a domino effect on the muscles and other soft tissues (ie fascia, tendons, ligaments) from the neck to the trunk. The length-tension relationships of the muscular and fascial chains through the body become altered. Due to the widespread facial chains throughout the body, the effects are far-reaching. It goes like this: posterior neck muscles get shortened and tightened as the jaw juts forward. Upper trapezius muscles also become shortened and tightened, that’s why so many people’s upper neck and shoulders are chronically “stressed”-hard as stone. The thoracic spine is pulled into flexion (hunching over), the scapula (shoulder blades) separate away from the midline and are now not nearly as strong or as stable as they were in their normal position due to chronic overload. This results in reduced functionality and pain. Further down the lumbar spine now is pulled into hyperextension contributing to an anterior pelvic tilt. Now the muscles in the front of the hips are now contracted/shortened. See what a mess this causes?

The above is a perfect example of how EVERYTHING is connected and no section of our body operates in a vacuum.

Now, here’s the reason Bowen Therapy (in my opinion) is the best answer: Regular massage relaxes and releases tight muscles- it does nothing for the opposite stretched, weak muscles. Stretching is the same story. Strength training addresses those weakened muscles but does nothing for the chronically tight, shortened muscles. Even if you do both, you are fighting an uphill battle as you are addressing a holistic problem as if there were a couple of separate, disconnected issues going on. So what is the brain to do with this? In addition, trying to address the resultant errors in curvatures of the spine through chiropractic work is also an uphill battle as you are fighting against soft tissues (muscles & fascia) that are desperately trying to keep you erect while you are continuing to put your body in this stressful posture!

Bowen Therapy directly addresses the tension in the soft tissues- fascia, muscles, tendons, ligaments- in a very unique way. The vibrational signals we send the brain results in the brain sending a host of signals back to the area balancing the tension in the opposing tissues and creating balance. The loose, weak muscles get tightened, the overly tight, spasmed/contract muscles get released. And we get relief! Then there is your part…change the bad posture!! You have to correct the behavior that is producing the problem if you want lasting effects from the therapy. That is why it is important for us together to determine what is causing the distortion pattern in the first place. It’s a team effort!

]]>Explaining Bowen Therapy- Take 5http://pennymichaels.com/2017/09/more-explanation-of-bowen-therapy/
Fri, 01 Sep 2017 19:12:35 +0000http://pennymichaels.com/?p=508When it comes to explaining Bowen Therapy, one size does not fit all. I can explain it to some in a simplistic manner, to others in a technical manner but so far not one description works for everyone. Given the fact that as a society we are not used to the idea of fixing a body […]

]]>When it comes to explaining Bowen Therapy, one size does not fit all. I can explain it to some in a simplistic manner, to others in a technical manner but so far not one description works for everyone. Given the fact that as a society we are not used to the idea of fixing a body by attending to the soft tissues in a manipulative but very light touch kind of way, and add to that the truth that we have only just begun to understand the functioning of the connective tissue systems in the body, it gets difficult to comprehend pretty quickly. It is just foreign to us.

THAT BEING SAID, IT WORKS BEAUTIFULLY.

I will continue to offer different approaches to explaining why Bowen Therapy works as they come to me. Eventually there will be enough documented science of the inner workings of the connective tissue-the fascia in particular-that some brilliant anatomist will be able to successfully explain it to everyone.

In the meantime, I will use some images from my very favorite anatomist, Tom Myers to help give you a visual. The book by Tom Myers, Anatomy Trains, is far the best book on functional anatomy to date.

Think of the body as put together via ropes and pulleys (think bringing a pail of water out of a well- pull down on one side of the rope causes the other side of the rope to shorten bringing up the pail of water). Same with connective tissues in the body. You pull something tighter over here and the opposite end – or the antagonist muscle HAS to shorten. (Remember those toys some of us had that were put together this way? push on the bottom of the feet and the whole thing collapses?) On a superficial level, this is what we are doing in Bowen Therapy. We are telling the brain to tighten this one, loosen this one and so forth, balancing the tension in all of these opposing soft tissue structures. This imbalance in the structures is what causes us much of our pain and our parts to not function properly. In addition, once an imbalance is present in one area, guess what? Eventually other structures get imbalanced as well BECAUSE ALL STRUCTURES ARE CONNECTED. There is actually, a “rope” of muscle that connects from the heel, up the back and around the top of the head!

It gets more complicated than that. The connective tissue called fascia that wraps around and through everything actually has 10 times the nerve endings as muscles do! So when you say your bicep hurts, it’s probably the fascia surrounding the bicep that is actually givinig out the pain signals. The fascia is the super highway of communication between the muscles and so forth and the brain.Here is what it looks like:

A spidery web of collagen. Collagen happens to be a piezoelectric material which means you put any strain or pressure on it and it sends out an electrical signal- to the brain. Follow me? This is why Bowen Therapy works- we send signals via pressure to the fascia which sends electrical signals to the brain to tell the brain something is out of whack in this area, and please fix it.

]]>Why am I not recovering quickly?http://pennymichaels.com/2017/08/why-am-i-not-recovering-quickly/
Tue, 29 Aug 2017 16:54:11 +0000http://pennymichaels.com/?p=500 Why Am I Not Recovering Quickly? Some of you are not going to like this..But you are the ones that need to hear it. The body is a magnificent machine. It takes so much abuse and keeps on performing every task we ask of it and many that we are not even aware of. […]

Some of you are not going to like this..But you are the ones that need to hear it.

The body is a magnificent machine. It takes so much abuse and keeps on performing every task we ask of it and many that we are not even aware of. It makes concessions, it heals, it is virtually non-stop in its efforts to repair and balance and restore. The number of processes that are taking place in the body at any given moment in time is truly astonishing. That being said, our bodies NEED rest, downtime. No matter what your physical fitness level is, your body needs rest. Perhaps this is even more true for the athlete.

Building recovery time into any training program is important because this is the time that the body adapts to the stress of exercise and the real training effect takes place. Recovery also allows the body to replenish energy stores and repair damaged tissues (www.verywell.com)

From Michigan State University: Athletes understand the importance of exercise training for optimal performance and improvement. However, rest and recovery is also an important aspect of an exercise program because it allows the body time to repair and strengthen itself in between workouts. It also allows the athlete to recover, both physically and psychologically. What happens during the recovery period? The body is allowed to adapt to the stress associated with exercise, replenishes muscle glycogen (energy stores) and provides time for the body tissue to repair.

So, if you are getting the appropriate rehab for an injury and not healing as quickly as you think you should, perhaps you should consider building in some R&R- some days off- your favorite activities will be there when you come back and your body will perform for you better than ever!

]]>Bowen Therapy Is Science!http://pennymichaels.com/2017/07/bowen-therapy-is-science/
Mon, 10 Jul 2017 20:35:05 +0000http://pennymichaels.com/?p=478Did you ever study physics? Boy, I did! I hold a B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering from North Carolina State University- trust me, I studied lots of physics and the like. I may hurt your head if I listed the classes I took. I make this point to assure you I have a very […]

]]>Did you ever study physics? Boy, I did! I hold a B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering from North Carolina State University- trust me, I studied lots of physics and the like. I may hurt your head if I listed the classes I took. I make this point to assure you I have a very analytical mind. Perhaps that is why it took me years to become a believer in Bowen Therapy. It took me years because it is not taught as a physics course, or a mechanical engineering course, or an Electronic Structures of Atomic Orbitals course. (You get my drift), It was taught as a ‘manual therapy that resets the body,’ Now, truly, what does that mean? It wasn’t until I realized that what I was dealing with here is that I truly delved into Bowen Therapy: Physics and Piezoelectricity.

#1) Physics

Physics is involved because the body is a kind of levers and pulleys system- at least the soft tissues part. A pulley works because you pull down on one side and the other side has to come up, or vice versa. If the load is equal on both sides, then the system is in neutral- balance. If the load on each side of a joint is not balanced then quite literally one side gets compressed and the other side is now in constant tension. Why do you think the LCL the ligament on the outside of the knee got damaged as opposed to the MCL ligament on the inside of the knee? Why do you think disc herniations take place?

Lack of balance in tension in the “soft tissue structures” – the muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia- that surround the joint itself.

For example: if one hip gets hiked up then the other hip is going to push down creating more pressure in that knee. So primarily what I do when using Bowen Therapy is balance the soft tissue structures in the body so that this kind of scenario does not present itself; or, if it has, can be corrected before too much damage has occurred.

#2)Piezoelectricity:

Piezoelectricity is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials (such as crystals, certain ceramics, and biological matter such as bone, DNA and various proteins) in response to applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from pressure. (wikipedia)

This means that when you apply pressure to something that is made with a material that has this characteristic, an electrical charge is emitted. This is important because this is part of the reason why Bowen Therapy works. Collagen displays piezoelectric properties. Guess what fascia is made up of? You guessed it. Collagen. From here it goes something like this: the pressure I exert here and there sends an electric signal to the brain alerting the brain to do a system check. It is now known through videos taken during live surgeries that when the fascia has pressure applied to it, a host of changes occur- things that are solid turn to liquid, new capillaries appear, gazillions of chemical changes occur. In response to the pressure that was applied to the fascia, an electrical signal was sent to the brain, and the brain responded with these changes to the structure that the pressure was applied to.

This is how me strumming across a muscle or tendon results in a change in tension in that muscle and its surrounding structures creating balance in the body and getting you back out onto the tennis courts!

Here is where we start marveling at the complexity of the body and its innate capacity to create change leading to healing. And we begin to understand why and how Bowen Therapy works.

]]>Immediate Gratification…http://pennymichaels.com/2017/06/immediate-gratification/
Wed, 21 Jun 2017 17:24:58 +0000http://pennymichaels.com/?p=465 I LOVE Bowen Therapy- I think it is brilliant and I KNOW it works. There is no but…But…we are an impatient population. We have sort of gotten used to the practice of immediate gratification. Make me feel better right now. Then I don’t have to think about it anymore- for now. We […]

I LOVE Bowen Therapy- I think it is brilliant and I KNOW it works. There is no but…But…we are an impatient population. We have sort of gotten used to the practice of immediate gratification. Make me feel better right now. Then I don’t have to think about it anymore- for now. We are busy, right? Who has time for anything else? When it comes to aches and pains-pop a pill, cut it out. Eliminate the pain now! When it comes to injuries popping a pill is only ignoring the problem til the pill wears off, then there is another pill and another…all the while not even addressing the problem. Or we take the route of invasive techniques- it’s “broken”, we gotta fix it! Not even giving the body an honorable mention for being able to fix itself with a little help.

I honor all manual/natural therapists- massage therapists, physical therapists, acupuncturists, and the list goes on- our goal is to help your body return to pain-free health with our craft- our skills and talents. We often accomplish amazing things, simply because our bodies WANT to heal and so with a little encouragement they often do.

Here’s the thing: manual and/or natural therapies and remedies for the most part do not afford us immediate gratification. It takes time and patience. The result though, is a body that has returned to optimum functioning in its original state.

Sometimes invasive techniques are required- the knee truly is blown out, the structure of the hip is so damaged that it cannot repair itself. Thankfully this country is full of very talented surgeons. I appreciate them too. Even after surgery though, the body could use some help restoring the best possible balance. Before or after surgery I encourage using manual therapies to help along the way. This gives our blessed bodies the best chance we can for full and complete recovery. At your Service~

]]>Old Injuries Contributing to New Injuries?http://pennymichaels.com/2017/06/old-injuries-contributing-to-new-injuries/
Fri, 16 Jun 2017 19:36:07 +0000http://pennymichaels.com/?p=462Yes! This can definitely be the case. This is especially so if those old soft tissue injuries were never properly addressed- which is often the case. Say, for instance, you broke your ankle, and the bones were properly taken care of but you had to wear a boot for awhile. Wearing a boot of course […]

]]>Yes! This can definitely be the case. This is especially so if those old soft tissue injuries were never properly addressed- which is often the case. Say, for instance, you broke your ankle, and the bones were properly taken care of but you had to wear a boot for awhile. Wearing a boot of course throws off your hips a bit- one leg and hip contracts (the one with the boot) as if you have a shorter leg. These muscles need to be released after the boot is removed. In addition, even though the break was properly set, all of the soft tissues around that break were traumatized as well, and you have probably heard that “muscles have memory.” The body is brilliant at protecting itself and sometimes in doing so, is a bit over-zealous. Signaling the brain to reset the tension in these tissues will ensure that the body is back in proper balance, avoiding issues down the road. Bowen Therapy does this easily and efficiently.

There are many scenarios here- too many to list. A recent example: a client that came to me “all-of-a-sudden” having issues getting up and walking after sitting a bit, and had no idea why. After assessment and a couple treatments it became apparent that although the current issue presented in the low back and hips, the culprit was a 20 year old injury to the achilles tendon which had excessive scar tissue severly restricting movement of the ankle. We are currently working to break up the scar tissue in the ankle (in order to restore range of motion to the ankle) as we work to restore balance to the hips. Rebalancing the hips without restoring proper function to the ankle would have only temporary results.

Bottom line: a new pain in one area can be attributed to an old injury in another area. Yet another reason to visit your very own Bowen Therapist!

]]>New Info on Knee Surgery- From the Expertshttp://pennymichaels.com/2017/06/new-info-on-knee-surgery-from-the-experts/
Wed, 07 Jun 2017 18:24:38 +0000http://pennymichaels.com/?p=455 The Treasure Coast Newspaper TC Palm (6/1/17) published an article that was in response to a doctor writing in about his experience with knee problems-specifically arthritis and mensicus tear- with subsequent meniscus tear surgery being ineffective. He found relief with medical massage and acupuncture. Two citations were made in response to this doctor: #1- The […]

The Treasure Coast Newspaper TC Palm (6/1/17) published an article that was in response to a doctor writing in about his experience with knee problems-specifically arthritis and mensicus tear- with subsequent meniscus tear surgery being ineffective. He found relief with medical massage and acupuncture.

Two citations were made in response to this doctor:

#1- The Journal of American Medical Association cited a study (pub 5/16/17) stating that STEROID INJECTIONS INTO THE KNEE WAS NO BETTER THAN SALINE INJECTIONS FOR ARTHRITIS RELIEF. AND, KNEES EXPOSED TO STEROID LOST CARTILAGE MORE QUICKLY.

#2- The British Medical Journal (5/6/17) states: SURGERY PROVIDED NO LONG TERM ADVANTAGES OVER CONSERVATIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES!!! A GROUP INCLUDING SURGEONS, PHYSIOTHERAPISTS AND PATIENTS HAS JUST ISSUED GUIDLEINES DISCOURAGING ARTHROSCOPIC SURGERY FOR KNEE ARTHRITIS AND MENISCUS TEARS (bmj, 5/10/17)

(can you see me jumping for joy?)

THIS IS HUGE!! It takes what it takes, and if if takes surgeons to say out loud these things we bodyworkers know from daily experience, so be it. I will stop here and just let this marinate for awhile.

Today I am celebrating what I do – Natural Healing Therapies may become a mainstream term. Hallelujah!

]]>plantar fasciitishttp://pennymichaels.com/2017/05/plantar-fascitis/
Fri, 26 May 2017 17:33:42 +0000http://pennymichaels.com/?p=425On the internet the Mayo Clinic described plantar fasciitis as one of the most common causes of heel pain.”It involves inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes (plantar fascia).” The article goes on to say that the cause is […]

On the internet the Mayo Clinic described plantar fasciitis as one of the most common causes of heel pain.”It involves inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot and connects your heel bone to your toes (plantar fascia).” The article goes on to say that the cause is not known and that it can lead to back and hip problems. (address of the article: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plantar-fasciitis/symptoms-causes/dxc-20268536).

In the world of Bowen Therapy (Osteopaths get this), we see the body as a whole, not pieces and parts. For us, everything is connected and therefore intimately involved with everything else. When someone comes to me with plantar fasciitis, the first thing I am going to address is balance in the hip structures. A “conventional” medicine person would probably not look above the ankle.

You see if the hips are out of balance, it causes one leg to appear shorter than the other, and you end of putting much more pressure on the “long leg” foot thereby straining the muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia on that leg. All of those soft tissues transfer weight/pressure/strain to the foot causing tightening of the fascia in the foot. You can massage that foot all you want (and this is good! don’t get me wrong) but you are not fixing the initial problem in most cases. You have to address balance in tension of the soft tissues from the hips down, and sometimes from the neck down. It’s all connected!

]]>What Your Shoes Are Telling Youhttp://pennymichaels.com/2017/04/what-your-shoes-are-telling-you/
Fri, 14 Apr 2017 19:09:55 +0000http://pennymichaels.com/?p=390When is the last time you looked at the bottom of your shoes? Take a look. Are they worn unevenly? How they are worn on the bottoms tell you much about the state of your pelvic girdle (hips, and therefore the stress and strain on the legs, knees, ankles). If your shoes are wearing unevenly […]

]]>When is the last time you looked at the bottom of your shoes? Take a look. Are they worn unevenly? How they are worn on the bottoms tell you much about the state of your pelvic girdle (hips, and therefore the stress and strain on the legs, knees, ankles).

If your shoes are wearing unevenly you will inevitably have an issue with low back pain, knee pain, or a bunion forming on one foot or the other. Typically this happens as a result of an imbalance in the hips. And typically these imbalances are in the tension in the soft tissues (fascia, muscle, tendon, ligament) somewhere, often several places along the way from the hip to the foot.

Once we get these imbalances corrected through Bowen Therapy, it is imperative that you lose those shoes! Shifting and balancing the tension in the soft tissues (fascia, muslces, tendons, ligaments) through Bowen Therapy allows the hard structures (bones) in the pelvic and so forth to shift to neutral position, creating a more balanced positioning of the feet. If you put those unevenly worn shoes back on, you are walking unevenly on your feet and now have now undone all the work.

]]>Bowen Therapy: funny story #1http://pennymichaels.com/2017/04/bowen-therapy-funny-story-1/
Fri, 07 Apr 2017 20:04:43 +0000http://pennymichaels.com/?p=381A Funny Bowen Therapy Story So. Not much time to write – it’s been a beautifully busy week here at The Boulevard! So, I’m going to simply share a funny story with you that along the way tells you a bit more about why Bowen Therapy works. So, a long time client of mine who over […]

So. Not much time to write – it’s been a beautifully busy week here at The Boulevard!

So, I’m going to simply share a funny story with you that along the way tells you a bit more about why Bowen Therapy works.

So, a long time client of mine who over the years came (abeit reluctantly) to believe in Bowen Therapy sent a friend of his to me. Now this gentleman hailes from Chicago and I only had one chance with him- and he couldn’t turn his head and was in significant pain.

I gave him the appropriate treatment and sent him on his way. The next week when my long time client came in, he said the two of them had gone to dinner the night of his friend’s treatment and the friend exclaimed: “what was that lunatic doing?! I told her it was my neck and she was working on my legs”! (This is where I start laughing)

The next morning the two gather to play golf and the friend exclaims: “I feel GREAT! I can turn my head and I have no pain”!

I’m still laughing. Bowen Therapists are used to this.

The technical point of this funny story is as follows:

EVERYTHING is connected! Honestly, what might hurt in the neck could very well be a problem in the rear end! Why? Because FASCIA , in short, the connective tissue that runs through and wraps around every bone, muscle, and tendon (plus much, much more) weaves this way and that and criss-crosses here and there and what starts out in the toe can end up at the top of the head or elsewhere. So this “lunatic” is telling you the problem may be far, far away from the pain!